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Jul 09
0

Langen Motorcycles Is Bringing Back Two-Stroke Sportbikes

By | General Posts

by Zac Kurylyk from https://www.rideapart.com

The RZ350 formula gets updated for the 2020s.

Two-stroke sportbikes had their day, but now they’re done and gone, right? Wrong. Over in the U.K., Langen Motorcycles—a low-volume startup with some high-revving ideas—is revisiting the old-school oil burner with a limited-production run of custom-built, two-stroke motorcycles.

Clearly inspired by sporty, mid-80s two-strokes like Yamaha’s RZ-series, Langen’s bikes are a pleasant, if smoky, surprise. The company sourced its 250cc, liquid-cooled, 90-degree V-twin from Italian company Vins. Although two-strokes are often seen as outdated, this engine has modern touches like electronic fuel injection and a counter-rotating crankshaft. It supposedly makes around 80 horsepower, a massive output for a 250cc engine. As a comparison, Kawasaki’s hot new ZX-25R four-stroke should make around 50 horsepower, and that’s with a 17,000 rpm redline.

Light And Fast:

Langen’s use of high-quality, high-tech bike components doesn’t stop at the engine, however. For suspension, there’s a set of 43mm Öhlins forks up front and dual Ktech Piggyback Razor shocks in back. Brakes are dual-discs up front and a single disc aft with billet aluminum radial calipers. In addition, the bikes have hand-built aluminum frames and carbon-fiber bodywork to cut down on weight.

That, in a nutshell, is the appeal of two-stroke motorcycles: high power, low weight. Langen says its completed machines should weigh around 250 pounds. Most of the current 300-400cc beginner bikes on the market weigh between 350 and 400 pounds.

Langen’s machines are built for a different type of customer, though. As its website says:

“Each part is constructed to exacting standards using either modern methods such as 5-axis CNC machining and additive manufacturing or hand crafted using traditional methods such as carbon fibre [sic] lay ups and gold leaf gilding.

During the design and build of the motorcycle each new owner will have an input over the final design, ergonomics, geometry to truly create a unique machine and a lasting relationship with the team that designed and built their bike.”

Custom-built using expensive methods and components, from pricey materials—don’t expect a Langen to come cheap, even if it’s “only” a 250. The bikes should be gorgeous to look at, though, and fun to ride. Langen’s website says, “motorcycles should provide raw excitement to ride and be a pleasure to stand and admire. Form and function can work in perfect harmony.” If you’ve got the dough, and you want a small, sporty bike that’s pared down to the essentials, it sounds like Langen’s got a machine for you.

Jul 08
0

Tattoos and Motorcycles

By | General Posts

This is 5-Ball light breathable ballistic Nylon vest with leather trim. Click and check it out and all our cool leathers. https://shop.bikernet.com/

Youtube Series Review
Review by Dmac

This link will get ya hooked. A totally Independent production. Love their Hollywood can kiss their ass style! A meld of the Tattoo world and Motorcycles! Real and raw – totally unscripted and takes you on an adventure in the deep south – where Big Dave and company are rollin’ out over thousands of miles to meet legendary Tattoo Artists. His mission is preserving their history for tattoo artists to come and he’s doing it on two wheels. They Their journey started June 1st, 2015.

CLICK HERE TO READ THIS ARTICLE ON BIKERNET

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Jul 08
0

American Iron Suspends Publication

By | General Posts

American Iron Magazine, published since 1989, has suspended publication.

The world has changed significantly. The motorcycle business has changed. And the magazine industry has too. Unfortunately, not for the better – short or long term.

For the last 31 years our team has worked hard responding successfully to the trends, opportunities and changes. But when our advertising crashed with the recent spread of the virus, we ran out of options. We trimmed the page count and content in our magazines, but that was not enough to make a difference.

Rather than watch our magazines decline even further, we have suspended publication as we explore our options. It is not an easy decision for American Iron Magazine, American Iron Garage and American Iron Salute, but it is the right one.

The last issue of American Iron Magazine was Issue #390, on sale last week.

Since 1989, I have been fortunate to work with really great editors, art directors and contributors who were dedicated, creative, hard working and smart. They had to be to achieve what we did for more than three decades. And a big thanks to all of our readers and advertisers, who supported our efforts so passionately.

Rather than dwell on the end of our magazines, I hope you’ll join us remembering your favorite articles, writers, photographers and events that we have enjoyed over the years. There have been so many.

Thank you one and all for your support, encouragement and friendship. It’s been a heckuva ride.

Buzz Kanter – Editor-in-Chief.

Jul 07
0

Join the Cantina today

By | General Posts

NEW BIKERNET AND BANDIT’S CANTINA PROGRAMS FOR 2020

To keep Bikernet moving forward in the New Year, we’ve shuffled things around a bit. We have decided to shut down all major advertising sales and will move all of Bikernet’s impressive library and 24 years of archived editorial content into Bandit’s Cantina, Bikernet’s subscription-supported section.

CLICK HERE https://www.bikernet.com/pages/custom/subscription.aspx

We will however keep the Bikernet Blog active daily and accessible for free.

All major content will be expanded into the Cantina.

So, from a business side here’s how it will work for the New Year. We will continue to build great content featuring the Weekly News, a variety of features and tech articles.

Our readers can stay abreast of all the action on Bikernet by joining the Cantina for as little as $24 yearly or $39 for two years. They will also receive a special package containing an assortment of Bikernet goodies and bling.

Industry members, if you’d like us to keep supporting your company and promote your products, events or services with editorials, we will do so for a mere $98 a year. Keep sending your press releases and we will take care of them.

For the company that wants to reach all 50,000 Bikernet readers and Bandit’s Cantina subscribers 24/7, your ad will be placed on our Blog page and your banner will accompany any and all of your company’s content. Just $165 a month. This also means all of your company content is archived on Bikernet for the duration working 24/7 and supported with your banner ad.

We’ve taken Bikernet Entertainment to a new level.

This is a very special area with whole books, broads, and rare antiques. And now you will also receive complete and amazing Jack McIntyre Event Galleries of images. For just about 20 cents a day, you will receive:

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Bandit’s Cantina Access:

  • Behind-the-scenes custom motorcycle news every Sunday with topless babes.
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  • Girls of Bikernet: NEW Extra Spicy GIRLS! Topless Models posing on gorgeous Bikes to tantalize, with stories that will curl your toes. And new girls from: Photography by Jack McIntyre, Peter Linney and Markus Cuff.
  • The Digital Discovery Area, where we bring you strange shit you’ll never find anywhere else.
  • Bandit’s Cantina Soap Opera – About once a month, step into the Cantina and find out who is messing with whom.
  • NEW – Bandit’s BikerPics. Photos by the esteemed photographer Jack McIntyre from Events around the USA, with nothing held back. Topless women, Bikes and more women! Jack hits events all over the country and his photography is a blast and lively. It’s like you attended the event, only better, because you miss the empty beer cans and see only the prime action.

All this and more for just $24.95 for a year or $39.95 for two years!

What are you waiting for? Each dime we take in supports Bikernet content; that’s archived forever–we hope…

TWO YEAR SIGN-UP SPECIAL: Receive a signed K. Randall Ball book and Bikernet Bling, Amazing.

INDUSTRY ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP

Industry members, if you’d like us to keep supporting your company and promote your products, events or services with editorials, we will do so for a mere $98 a year. Keep sending your press releases and we will take care of them.

SO WHADDYA WAITIN’ FOR?

WARNING: This site contains nudity. You MUST be over 18 to purchase a subscription. Not 18? Get on your Honda and come back when you are, junior….. We’d love to have you.

Feel free to email ideas and suggestions; ya never know, we just might use them.

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Jul 06
1

Motorcycles Sales Bounce Back Post Pandemic Slump

By | General Posts

by Sabrina Giacomini from https://www.rideapart.com

Rising from the ashes.

To say that 2020 has been an eventful year so far is an understatement. “2020, written by Stephen King” is probably the best description of this year’s events we found so far. Of course, with a pandemic forcing most of the global population into lockdown, the health crisis was bound to have an impact on the motorcycle industry.

For several manufacturers, between suspended production and customers shying away from the dealers, the months of April and May 2020 have been challenging to say the least. Thankfully, with life gradually resuming, so are sales, and the numbers are bouncing back.

Things Are Going Better Than Expected:

An increasing number of people and publications suggest that the pandemic will encourage more people to turn to motorcycles and scooters for transportation—the perfect type of commuter for social distancing.

In the U.S., buyers didn’t waste any time running for the hills—literally—as soon as COVID-19 poked its ugly head. Honda, BMW, Suzuki, and Yamaha’s North American branches reported that sales are thriving since the beginning of the year, particularly in the off-road segment. For instance, American Honda Motor Co. confirmed that motorcycle sales for May 2020 have more than doubled over May 2019—both in the road and off-road segments (+103% and +172% respectively). For BMW North America, while official sales numbers were not disclosed, the spokesperson did say that May 2020 sales were far exceeding last year’s.

The European market is showing a similar, positive trend. Italian sales numbers for June 2020 show a 37-percent increase over June 2019—not even over the catastrophic month of May 2020. More bikes and scooters sold in Italy post-pandemic than last year, back when nobody had even heard of a coronavirus. A total of 39,085 motorcycles, scooters, and mopeds have been registered in Italy in June.

The market is also on the mend in India where local branches are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Though the June sales numbers remain significantly below the 2019 numbers, they are on the rise after the May 2020 slump. For Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India, the 210,879 units moved in June represent a 153 percent increase in sales over May. For Hero, sales increased by a staggering 300 percent between the two months. Royal Enfield is also back in the green with a total of 38,065 motorcycles sold in June versus 18,429 in May.

Despite a rocky start to 2020, it looks like the motorcycle industry is faring far better than we initially anticipated.

Jul 01
0

Comoto Family of Brands Raise $100,000 from month-long The Ride is Calling Charity Campaign

By | General Posts

from https://finance.yahoo.com

Comoto Family of Brands Raise $100,000 from month-long The Ride is Calling Charity Campaign to collectively benefit National Motorcycle Safety Fund, The Kurt Caselli Foundation and Motorcycle Relief Project

The motorcycle community overwhelmingly showed their support by participating in the 3-day charity ride, making individual gifts, and shopping in-store to benefit the cause–

Comoto Holdings, parent company of leading moto enthusiast brands RevZilla, Cycle Gear, and J&P Cycles, announced they raised $100,000 from the month-long The Ride is Calling Charity campaign to support National Motorcycle Safety Fund, The Kurt Caselli Foundation and Motorcycle Relief Project.

“The Comoto family of brands has been humbled by the outpouring of support for our efforts to raise funds for our non-profit partners,” said Ken Murphy, CEO of Comoto Holdings. “A record-setting weekend of over 3,000 motorcyclists participating to support these causes is proof-positive that the motorcycling community is thriving.”

The campaign raised in total $100,000, meeting its goal. The centerpiece of the month was The Ride is Calling Charity Ride during the weekend of June 19-21, which attracted 3,030 participants. In partnership with the trip planner app Rever, riders tracked their ride with a combined total of 233,607 miles ridden over three days. Comoto donated $1 for every 10 miles ridden, which amounted to $23,360.

“We are really pleased that the motorcycling community came together to ride what equates to 10 times around the world in a single weekend,” said Justin Bradshaw, Co-founder of Rever. “To have Rever’s technology lend a hand in making these generous donations possible is extremely rewarding for us.”

In addition to The Ride is Calling Charity Ride, on Saturday, June 20, 5% of all in-store and curbside pick-up sales across 148 Cycle Gear, J&P Cycles and RevZilla locations nationwide were donated to the fund.

Individuals were able to make donations through the charity ride pages on each of the brand websites. Over 32,000 users landed on the donation pages across all three websites throughout the month of June. On social media, participants used #irodetoday and #therideiscalling to share the stories of their rides across the country.

With a diverse group of riders across Comoto’s retail brands, the campaign partnered with organizations that have three distinct missions. National Motorcycle Safety Fund, the non-profit arm of the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, supports research, rider education and motorcyclist safety. The Kurt Caselli Foundation’s focus is on the safety of riders and racers in off-road motorcycling. Motorcycle Relief Project works with veterans and first responders suffering from PTSD by taking them on structured and professionally-led dual-sport motorcycle adventures.

“We are honored to be able to partner with Comoto to help veterans and first responders who are struggling with PTSD and related issues,” says Tom Larson, president and founder of Motorcycle Relief Project. “RevZilla has been helping out with our program for several years. Then Cycle Gear came on board and now we’re thrilled to be working with J&P Cycles as well. The funding from the Call to Ride event comes at a really important time for us, as our donations have definitely slowed down due to the COVID situation. A huge thank you to Comoto and all the riders who participated in the event and helped raise money. We couldn’t be more grateful for the support!”

About Comoto Holdings

Comoto Holdings is America’s largest and fastest growing omni-channel platform in the powersports aftermarket-products industry; dedicated to advancing the experience of moto enthusiasts across the globe. Comoto’s brands, RevZilla, Cycle Gear, and J&P Cycles, deliver premium products, dedicated expertise, engaging media, and passionate customer support of the rider community, through best-in-class ecommerce and retail experiences.

Jul 01
0

Harley-Davidson Launches Training Program with Personal Coaches for Beginners

By | General Posts

by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com

In September of 2019, Harley-Davidson announced an ambitious plan to have 1 million more riders on the road by the year 2027. That would be 4 million people riding Harley motorcycles, up from the 3 million recorded three years ago, in 2017.

To do that, the company announced a range of new bikes being prepared for the future, including the now obviously not that successful electric LiveWire. But having new bikes that can be ridden means of course nothing if people do not know how to ride them.

The company already has a training program it calls Riding Academy New Rider Course, but that doesn’t allow for personalized sessions. That’s why a new program was announced on June 30, dedicated to beginners who need a personal trainer.

Called Learn to Ride, the program is now open and availble to access at Harley dealers and allows for personal coaching sessions with trainers, either individually or as a group of up to four people. Each session lasts 90 minutes, and free rides are being given on a Harley-Davidson Street 500 motorcycle, specially equipped for beginners, on a practice course.

“For riders that always wanted to learn but couldn’t fit a multi-day course into their schedule or prefer to learn in private session, this program is what they have been waiting for,” the Milwaukee bike maker said in a statement when announcing the program.

“Sessions can be scheduled 1-on-1 or as a private party with up to 4 participants. This program is a great option for spouses, friends, and individuals to finally learn and fulfill their dreams of riding a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.”

If you plan to become a Harley rider, or just plan on using these guys as tools into learning the tricks of the trade and then move on to something else, you can head over to this link and get more info.

Jun 29
0

The World Is Not Ready for a Suzuki Electric Motorcycle, Suzuki Says

By | General Posts

by Elena Gorgan from https://www.autoevolution.com

For the past couple of years, at the very least, we’ve been hearing the phrase “the electric revolution is coming” a lot. Suzuki Motorcycle has been hearing it too, but it’s yet to see actual signs of the arrival.

As of right now, electric motorcycle offers are scarce and leave a lot to be desired: those with prices in the same range as ICE counterparts underwhelm in terms of performance, and those that do deliver on the performance come with astronomical price tags. The market is not yet ready for an electric motorcycle, Suzuki has decided.

Speaking with the Financial Express, Suzuki VP of Marketing and Sales for India Devashish Handa says that the focus is not on an electric motorcycle right now. It’s not on new models, either, as the ongoing health crisis is forcing the maker to adapt to the new way of sales.

That doesn’t mean that Suzuki Motorcycle is not preparing for the electric, noiseless and pollution-free future we’ve been hearing so much about. It is; it’s just not ready to show us what it’s been working on.

“We are watching the space very carefully, but the journey of electric two-wheelers has not been consistent,” Handa says in the interview, which mostly focuses on Suzuki sales in the new, no-direct-personal-contact stage of our life. Video of the interview is available at the bottom of the page.

“The cost of acquisition in comparison to ICE vehicles continues to be a concern. As and when the buyer is ready, Suzuki will be present in the market as it already has the technology,” Handa adds.

In other words, e-bikes are too expensive right now and people aren’t buying them, so Suzuki won’t be making one. At least for the time being.

Harley-Davidson is perhaps the best example of a big bike manufacturer going down the electric route and stumbling across the premium price obstacle. A LiveWire is priced around $30,000, which has proved a major turn-off even for diehard H-D supporters. Clearly, Suzuki is not willing to take this chance, not in the current context of already low sales.

Jun 22
0

Bigtoe and Smalltoe, the Tallest and Smallest Motorcycles in the World

By | General Posts

by Elena Gorgan from https://www.autoevolution.com

Size doesn’t matter, if you’re to believe some people. For inventor Tom Wiberg, size is everything, because he is the man who created the world’s tallest motorcycle and its counterpart, the smallest motorcycle in the world.

June is autoevolution’s Two-Wheeler Month and we couldn’t celebrate it properly without talking about some of the two-wheelers that have written history. Enter the world’s tallest and the world’s smallest motorcycle, as certified by the Guinness Book of World Records: Bigtoe and Smalltoe.

Both “toes” are builds from Swedish inventor Tom Wiberg, a man whose skillfulness is only surpassed by his creativity. Like most Guinness winners, Tom set out to create a new world record and spared no expense and effort to secure it.

Take Bigtoe, for example. It was built in 1998 and certified by Guinness in 1999 as the tallest motorcycle in the world, measuring 2.3 meters (7.5 feet) in height. It was 5 meters (16.4 feet) long and weighed an impressive 1,645 kg (3,626 pounds), which means it was eight times the size of a sportbike and four times the size of a Honda Gold Wing. Because of its size and weight, it required training wheels in order to keep upright. It’s still a motorcycle, but one that uses training wheels.

Bigtoe was pimped out, which is surprising given that it was constructed to set a record for height. It came with a 500W 4-way speaker sound system with CD player and even had a custom stainless muffler system for riders to enjoy the ride without excessive noise.

Powered by a 1975 Vintage Type E Jaguar 300 hp 5.3-liter engine, Bigtoe was able to reach top speeds of 100 kph (62 mph) but – and this goes without saying – it was not made for cruising, let alone for speeding. Upon its certification, Tom said Bigtoe handled best on short runs, at speeds that didn’t exceed 50 kph (90 mph).

He also estimated the total cost of the bike at over $80,000. It took him six years to design and build Bigtoe, since he made most of the parts by hand himself. He had help from sponsors, which is a big deal: once you’re not worried about money, you can focus on the work alone. About 3,000 man-hours were put in to complete the build.

Bigtoe was king of the motorcycle world until Greg Dunham’s Dream Big dethroned it. Dream Big wasn’t just taller but faster and more powerful, but Tom would not let this setback take him out of the Guinness Book altogether.

And this is how Smalltoe came to be. Since Tom probably understood that people would build bigger and bigger bikes, he began looking into how he could make the smallest one in the world. The result is something that is hardly a motorcycle at all: a box-shaped rolling tiny… thing that doesn’t even have room for a human rider, but can easily fit in the palm of a grown man’s hand.

Smalltoe is 65 mm (2.55 inches) tall, and has a front wheel diameter of 16 mm (0.62 inches) and a rear wheel diameter of 22 mm (0.86 inches), with an 80 mm (3.14-inch) wheelbase. It weighs just 1.1 kg (2.4 pounds) and has been the smallest motorcycle in the world since 2003.

It looks like a toy, but Tom actually rode it so Guinness could certify it as a motorcycle. Powered by a single-geared, 0.3 horsepower, ethanol-fueled RC engine motor with forward transmission (the kind used in model airplanes), it has to be force jump-started with an external motor. The rider wears special made shoes with pegs that go into the body of the bike, in what is perhaps the most uncomfortable and silliest riding position ever.

The good news is that it won’t go far: to set the record, Tom rode it at a top speed of 2 kph (1.24 mph) for 10 meters (3.28 feet), a joke by regular bike standards but an amazing feat for something this small, carrying a full-sized human. Smalltoe doesn’t have brakes or suspension, because lol, look at how tiny it is. Nor can it be steered, with Tom saying at the time that he could have probably ridden it for a longer stretch had it not come across an obstacle in its path.

Here are Tom’s famous two-wheel creations in action. Because size clearly does matter.